


When the World Ends I Hope You're Here With Me (the 2014 remix)

by NEStar



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Gen, Remix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-02
Updated: 2014-05-02
Packaged: 2018-01-21 14:29:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1553687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NEStar/pseuds/NEStar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one was quite sure where the virus had come from, but the Zombies had come, and this was life after the end of the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When the World Ends I Hope You're Here With Me (the 2014 remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Netgirl_y2k](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Netgirl_y2k/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Great Zombie Invasion of 2001](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15160) by [Netgirl_y2k](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Netgirl_y2k/pseuds/Netgirl_y2k). 



> A huge thanks to Lana for her amazing beta work.

2001 – No one was quite sure where the virus had come from. All that Bonnie had been able to find out was that the EFE Forensic lab in Dublin had found it while doing a specialty job for the Department of Agriculture. (They also discovered that it only had a two hour incubation period.)

The next report had come from The Roslin Institute in Scotland: (They had discovered that the virus was now airborne.) That was the last contract anyone had with that lab.

If there was a third report no one in the West Wing was left to see it.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2003 – Rural Wisconson in the winter was a cold, lonely place. The only thing that kept Josh from going totally insane was the fact that he wanted his brain to remain inside his head and the best way to do that was in a place that was cold and lonely.

“Josh.”

Donna held out a sheet of paper. “A stack of these was posted at the ranger station.”

As he took the paper, he could see that it was a printout from the CDC web site and bore the headline “URGENT NOTICE”. 

“No...” his head jerked up to look at Donna. “They can't possibly be serious?”

Donna swallowed hard before saying, “Look at the date.”

Josh glanced back at the paper. “Three weeks ago.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2004 – The world was on fire.

As word of the CDC's findings spread - the news that only fire could kill this virus - people around the globe began to panic. 

At first it had been fire rings and burn traps to keep away the infected, but fire and panic are hard to contain.

Rome, London, New York, Chicago... they all burned again, taking the infected and clean alike.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been hard, but humanity had survived.

Trust was the first thing to be rebuilt – the first and the hardest – but somehow people began to open up and, slowly, civilization returned: neighbors found each other and began to trade, trading groups held exchanges, exchange halls became town halls, leaders drew up charters and defined borders.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2014 – Matt Hastings looked around the hall at the other representatives and quickly worked out that he was one of the youngest here. Well, he had been helping his family run the Hastings Trading group for a good while now and everyone there respected his opinion, so why shouldn't it be the same here.

“With all due respect, you're an idiot!”

The voice rose up over the din of the crowd and Matt turned to see an older man who looked liked his head was about to explode.

Whoever the man was arguing with must have said something in response because the man burst out, “Yeah, well you're the one who doesn't know the difference between a Federation and a Commonwealth!”

“Dear lord, what is he going off about now?”

Matt turned around to find a woman behind him. She had long hair that was either blond or white (it was so light he wasn't sure) she also had a long-suffering look on her face.

“You would think after three days of committee meetings he would have run out of things to say,” she said with a small smile.

“I don't think I even know all of the words he's used,” Matt admitted. He had been eight when the world fell apart, and his education after that had been kind of catch-as-catch-can.

“Well, he did get a 760 on his verbal S.A.T.” she said.

Matt frowned, “What's a S.A.T.?”

“A test that hasn't been important in a long time,” she answered. “He has always had an extensive vocabulary and his favorite thing to do in the world is argue.” She tilted her head in thought before continuing, “Well, his truly favorite thing is to win an argument, but Josh'll take whatever he can get.”

“Josh?”

The woman blushed, “I'm so sorry, I should have introduced myself,” she held out her hand, “Donna Moss. And the walking, screaming, dictionary over there is my husband, Josh Lyman.”

Matt shook her hand, “Pleased to meet you. I'm Matt Hastings.”

“Of the Hastings Trading Group,” Donna added for him, “The largest group of trade riders in the upper peninsula.”

Matt was a little stunned, “How did you know that?”

Donna laughed as she said, “It's Josh's job to know who the players are and it's my job to get Josh his information.”

“God, it's been ages since I've made someone cry,” Josh said as he walked up to Donna and Matt. “Why did I ever give it up?”

“Because the president wanted your brain, and not just in a “I want smart people working for me” way,” Donna answered him before directing his attention to Matt, “This is Matt Hastings.”

“Matt Hastings...” Josh shook the hand Matt held out, “Oh! Yeah, from the trading group, youngest rep sent out, something to do with your Dad not being able to make it, right?”

“My Mom,” Matt corrected.

“Ah, sorry,” Josh said as he ran his hand through his hair in a bashful manner.

“I think it's time to go in,” Donna said. “Have fun reshaping the world in your image.” Then, after a quick kiss to Josh's check, she made her way over to the side entrance.

“Let's not keep them waiting,” Josh said, and Matt followed him into the main floor of the conference hall where all the representatives were sitting.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” Matt asked as they sat down.

“Go ahead,” Josh said.

“I heard you... um, arguing before --”

Josh snorted, “You and half the people here.”

“Well, my question... You see, I didn't really finish school like it was before, so...”

“That's nothing to be ashamed of,” Josh said. “The world changed and you survived.”

“So, what is the difference between a federation and a commonwealth?”

Josh took a deep breath, “A federation is a political body that has a central government which is formed by cities or states which retain autonomous control over their internal affairs while a commonwealth is a collection of cities or states which choose association for common interests.”

Matt nodded, “Okay.”

“So you're one of the leaders of the Hastings Traders, or close to it.” Josh said” Do you want to keep complete control over your area or do you want to put your rules and practices up against the rules and practices from the towns around you, vote on which is the best, and have everyone abide by the common rules?”

Matt was silent, trying to form an answer but Josh again, “Your mind is racing, isn't? But there isn't a right or wrong answer. Maybe you have rules that have worked in your area, ones that your trading group needs, but wouldn't really apply to... say a farm center. So you pick federation. But on the other hand, having one set of rules would cut down on misunderstandings with the surrounding communities.” 

Matt rolled Josh's words over and over in his head during the welcome and opening speech's. 

“How did you two get to be so good at this?” Matt asked during lunch. He sat at a table with Josh, Donna, and several other people who somehow managed to put up with Josh's ranting.

Donna looked at him, “Would you believe me if I told you that Josh and I were in the White House the day everything fell? That I hit the First Lady of the United States with a chair because she wanted to eat my brain?”

Matt was taken aback, “Really?”

“Josh spent the first five hours of the drive from D.C. to Wisconsin talking about the constitutionality of my actions and if it was assassination if the President was undead.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2015 – Just like the virus that had tried to overtake it, the world had died and come back to life. Fourteen years after everything ended, Donna Moss was elected as Chief Mediator for the Great Lakes Federation, with Josh Lyman as her deputy, while Matt Hastings began his first term as Councillor. 


End file.
